A morning (not) like all other mornings
by Vlindervin
Summary: Will and Nico meet on the train. Solangelo AU


Just like every morning, Will Solace stepped onto the train at 8:15 am exactly. Just like every morning, he took the seat next to the window in the third compartment. And, just like every morning, he examined the people around him.

Some were typing away, furiously trying to finish before a deadline. Some were on the phone talking to friends or colleagues. And Will Solace observed.

There was the guy with the white beard that Will called Santa Claus in his head. A little further in the back was the woman that always looked like she was ready to kill anyone that dared talking to her in these unholy hours of the day. The little girl talking to her dolls, her father looking at her, fondly. The gross couple that always devoured each other (Will actually though they were kind of cute).

These were the people Will saw everyday. They were braided into Wil's life and they belonged there. Will had somehow grown attached to them, even if they probably didn't even know who he was. Well, he always _did_ get overly attached to people. And animals, for that matter; when his cat had died three years ago, he had cried for two days straight and had vowed to never, ever adopt another pet. He got a fish three weeks after.

Just like every morning, he was engrossed in his daydreams and he didn't notice the stranger until he startled Will by sliding into the seat next to him. His surprise only got stronger when he turned to look at him, a boy around Will's age. And a very hot one, too. The stranger had a rather pale skin, velvety looking hair Will thought would be incredibly soft if he'd run his fingers through it ( _What? Why the hell are you thinking about that? Get a grip, Solace!_ ). The boy looked like a male version of Snow White: skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, hair as black as ebony. (He may have been exaggerating a little bit, but Snow White simply had always been his favorite Disney princess. She was the prettiest in his opinion. And the stranger was definitely as pretty as Snow White. _Will_ looked more like Cinderella.

 _God,_ he could practically hear Lou Ellen calling him a dork.)

When Male Version of Snow White turned his head, Will also got to see the warm, soft brown that were his eyes. Will smiled awkwardly, mentally slapping himself for being _oh so subtle_. The boy didn't smile back, but merely raised his eyebrows and gave him the tiniest quirk of his lips, although that could've been Will's imagination running wild.

Will decided to look out of the window at the other side of the aisle. He knew the sight by heart. And it wasn't one of those landscapes that changed all the time. This was all gray walls and fog and, sometimes, green patches of grass flashing by.

He was fidgety, not knowing how to act with the furiously handsome stranger next to him. All too aware of his presence and imagining all kinds of scenarios in which he leaned over in slow motion and pressed their lips together, while some sappy love song played in the background.

Where was this coming from? Will usually got along with everyone. Easy to talk to and always finding a subject. But this boy seemed to make every spontaneous cell in Will's body disappear, leaving only an awkward mess with no conversations kills whatsoever.

So having nothing better to do, he placed his bag on his lap and just rummaged around. He spotted the deck of cards and brought them up.

He noticed the stranger stir and looking down before snapping his head up. Will looked at him with squinted eyes. The boy looked kind of sick, or at least very nervous. When he noticed Will looking, his mouth turned into a sharp, sneering line. Will raised his eyebrows. 'Are you okay?', he asked hesitantly, a little bit afraid the boy would kill him if he came too close. But he couldn't help himself. Helping people was what he was good at and every part of him screamed _wrong, fix it_ when anyone looked slightly sick.

'Is that Mythomagic?', was all Will got as answer. His voice was like music, soft and sweet. Will thought he even detected a slight hint of an accent, he had no idea where from though. He never really was good with language, preferring the strict rules of science.

The boy was looking straight ahead of him, not making eye contact with Will.

'Yeah, you know it?'

'A little.', the boy answered so tensely, Will was convinced he'd explode with all the things he kept inside. 'Do you play?'

'Not really. I found them this morning, on a windowsill. And I know my cousin likes them so I took them. I don't know really know anything about it. Wait, that's not true', Will turned around, smiling and happy about the fact that, even if he hadn't been brave enough to start it, he was actually sort of having a conversation with the Handsome Male Version of Snow White. 'The Hades card's got 4000 points, right?'

'5000 if the opponent attacks first.', the Handsome stranger answered and, probably after realizing how quickly he had answered the question, blushed. He looked adorable doing so. Will didn't tell him that, of course. At the way the other boy was clearly hiding his excitement and had not smiled at Will once, he didn't think it would be very appreciated.

'You seem to know a lot about it.'

'I used to play when I was little.'

'You don't anymore?'

Another blush spreads over the other boy's cheeks. He didn't answer, but it was clear.

'I always thought it looked fun, but I have no idea how to play it. My cousin tried to explain it to me once, but he's a hyperactive seven-year old, so that didn't really work out well.'

'It's not that complicated.' The boy spiraled off in a complex explanation of the different cards and their points and use. Will was hypnotized by the way he moved his hands to accentuate everything he said, the way his lips moved over the words and the way he rolled his r's. It was a beautiful sight and over way too quickly.

Turned out, the boy was a pretty good teacher; when Will suggested they play (which was, in his opinion, the best idea he _ever_ had) he actually understood the basics. Normally you needed figurines too, but there was an alternate version without.

During the game Will asked his opponent all sorts of questions, sometimes he got an answer, sometimes an eye roll or scoff. The dry remarks the boy gave whenever Will did or said something stupid, often made Will laugh out loud. He thought it was going well until he suddenly found himself without any cards and 3 points, while the other boy had them all and more points than he could count.

Will had been defeated. And for the first time that morning, the boy smiled. It was a winner's smile, glad he had won and a little mocking, but it was beautiful and Will couldn't help but smile too.

'You could've gone easy on me, you know? It being my first time and all?', Will said playfully, not really meaning it. He could be quite competitive, but he wasn't one to get mad over losing at a game.

'I did. You just suck.'

'Gee, thanks. But I had a terrible teacher, it's probably that.'

'Don't you dare insult my Mythomagic skills. I just beat you and I could do it again.'

And that's how the rest of the journey went. Which was to say, the next ten minutes. They bickered, mostly and when Will came to his stop, he was actually a little sad.

But later when he walked to the hospital he worked as a med student, he had a big grin on his face. He was kind of nervous, but in a good way.

 _It's Will, by the way._

And his number. That wasn't like him. Just giving his number to random strangers. Well, random strangers that taught you how to play a game and then beat you royally. Will felt clever, though, leaving a note like that. It sent an exited thrill through his body. If the boy didn't answer, then so be it. But if he did, Will thought they could become good friends. Although, he hoped for more.

It was only when he was writing the note, that he realized he didn't know the boy's name and had been calling him Handsome Stranger in his head the entire time. He hoped to soon find out what it was.

And surely, an hour or so later, he got a text from an unknown number:

 **Nico di Angelo**

That was it. Will tested how the name felt on his tongue and how it sounded in his voice. He was pleasantly surprised.

Then:

 **Also, how dare you just** _ **write**_ **on a Mythomagic card**

Will laughed and typed an answer:

 **Sorry, I didn't have anything else to write on :/**

Then, because he was feeling bold on the rush of the text Hands – _Nico_ had sent him, he followed it by asking:

 **Could I buy you a drink for forgiveness sometime?**

He pressed send before losing all his courage. Ten minutes later he got:

…

And then:

 **I guess**

So, just like every morning Will stepped on the train at 8:15 am exactly. Just like every morning, he took the seat next to the window in the third compartment. And, just like every morning, he examined the people around him.

This wasn't a morning like every other, though. And when Will got of work that evening and happily strutted through the starlit streets, he was glad his day had gone differently.


End file.
